Seaford Boys' School
by JasmineLief
Summary: Kim disguises herself as a boy named Keegan Crawford in order to attend Seaford Boys' School and escape her awful Aunt. What happens when she meets her possibly attractive roommate named Jack?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! As you can see, I've started a new story! I hope you guys like it, I'm working hard for you guys!**

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"Kimberly, I'm sending you to Lobelia Girls' Academy," sighed my aunt as she spoke to some rich guy on the phone. "I simply can't take care of you—no, not you Rick—and you really have no choice." I just stood there, dumbfounded and fuming. "It's in California, and you'd better behave there. No more sweaty karate, and stop giving me that look. What I say goes, and you know that Kimberly."

I dismissed the deliberate use of my full name, no matter how many times I told my Aunt Cynthia not to use it; she always made it a point to call me Kimberly. But she was shipping me off to _Lobelia_? That was the snobbiest, richest, most degrading all-girls' school in existence. I shot my father a pleading look, but he just sat there on the sofa twiddling his fingers and staring off into space like he had been doing ever since my mom died.

Well, she wasn't dead; at least that's what I told myself every time I passed her picture that hung on my wall. My mother was in the army, leaving my father behind to take care of Charlie, my older brother, and me. They had recently let women out into the battlefield in Afghanistan and she was one of the first to go out into the open. And that was when she disappeared. The correct term was 'Missing in Action,' as in, 'we can't find your mother and she's probably dead but we're sorry.'

When the man in uniform came to deliver the news, my father collapsed in the doorway and he's never been the same since. Some would even go so far as to call him a limp noodle, a vegetable. People just don't get that when someone you love disappears without a trace, you can't just start back over. You can't just forget about that person, as if they never existed. You'll dwell on that for the rest of your life, sometimes reliving the good moments and crying over the bad. My dad just shut his doors, refusing to let anyone in, including me. He was deemed unfit to raise me, and seeing as Charlie was off at college a few towns over, my Aunt Cynthia swooped in to take the roll of my legal guardian. She's been nothing but horrible, only keeping my father in the house because everybody knows he can't live on his own, not now.

"But you can't-" I yelled, advancing toward her. She held up a hand and gave me a pointed look as she finished off her conversation with _Rick_, hanging up the phone and slamming it on the coffee table.

"_Kimberly_," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "I _said_ that you were going to Lobelia, and _that's that_. You can't go against me, not as long as I'm your legal guardian. You will do as I say and mind your tongue and temper, unless you want me to lose mine."

I was too angry to even form a coherent sentence so I dashed off into the loft that I used as my room before I started to cry. When I reached the top of the ladder, tears began falling from my cheeks, and I struggled to keep my balance. I threw myself on my bed and cried until my tears turned to rage and I felt the need to punch something. So I did.

I kicked at my bed and punched my wall, not afraid that I was being too loud or destructive because Cynthia would never come up there to yell and scream, my room was always the one place she never dared to come in. It was my sanctuary, and I was currently destroying it. I flopped back onto my bed, taking in the condition of my room: the bed had sunken to the floor, as I had broken the bed frame, there were several punch-sized holes in my wall, my desk chair lay half broken in the corner, and the room was just a general mess. And that's when I decided to call Charlie.

"_Hello?_" came the voice of my brother over the phone. I heard the rustling of papers in the background, but I pushed that aside.

"I'm so mad right now, it's not even funny," I deadpanned as I climbed out of my window and onto the roof. The perks of having the loft as my room were that I had a private area to myself that was cut off from the rest of my house, and easy access to the roof, 24/7.

"_What did Cynthia do now, diss your karate again?"_ he asked with a chuckle.

"No. She's shipping me off to Lobelia. No iffs, ands, or buts," I said, still angry with her and the rest of the world. "Do you know how much that's going to suck? A school full of rich, snobby bitches that will most likely hate my guts and a skimpy, frilly uniform are enough to make me want to vomit. The likelihood of me fitting in there are zero-to-none, and that's if I get lucky." He laughed again, making me glower and scowl.

"_This couldn't be more perfect,"_ he said, and I heard more paper rustling in the background. What was he doing anyways?

"Charlie, please tell me what part of this you find perfect. Because I'm having a hard time figuring out what it is," I huffed, getting annoyed with my brother.

"_It's the fact that I'm almost through enrolling you in Seaford Boys' School,"_ my jaw dropped, he did what now? _"I was planning on getting you here after you finished sophomore year, but I can tell you need out of that house quick. I might be able to get you in Seaford by the end of the week."_

"Wait, come again?" I asked, not believing what my brother had just said.

"_I said, you are now part of the Seaford family, Keegan. Congratulations on making it in, __**brother**__,"_ I almost fell over, Charlie was a genius!

"Charlie, you're brilliant! That's an amazing idea!" I screamed into the phone. It all sounded so perfectly risky, so amazingly bold, I couldn't contain my excitement. I would have the pleasure of living in a boys' private school, undercover as a real guy! Best of all, I'd be far from Cynthia and I wouldn't have to see my father so depressed all the time, it'd be perfect!

"_Now get packing, I'll send a friend of mine from Lobelia's college annex to pick you up at the mall tomorrow night. Don't bother taking any of your clothes or makeup, there's no point, you won't need it. And don't tell dad, don't even think about telling Cynthia, don't breathe a word of it to any of your friends, got it?" _ I let it all sink in, it was really happening. I made a checklist of all the things I'd need to take, then suddenly realized that I'd be a guy in a matter of hours and that all of it would be pointless. I nodded, but when I noticed I was talking to my brother over the phone, I voiced my agreement and he promised to call me the next day to make sure everything was set. The way I saw it, I could be out of there in less than a day.

After I hung up, I swiftly made my way back to my room; I needed to pack at least the essentials for my adventures as a dude. I was about to shove everything in my favorite pink duffel bag, but then I remembered that no straight guy would walk around with a pink duffel bag slung over his shoulder. I sighed, as I pulled out a gray backpack, safely unisex but awfully boring.

Dashing around my room and throwing things into my bag seemingly at random, something hit me: _what kind of guy has boobs?_

The first thing I thought of was to wear a sports bra, but when I did, my chest wasn't flat enough. Not that I had the biggest boobs of life, quite the contrary, but a guy didn't have even that, he had muscles. And a sports bra wasn't cutting it. I snuck into the bathroom downstairs, relieved that Cynthia had gone out after her announcement, and found a roll of bandages. I wrapped myself painfully then looked in the mirror, excellent.

I spent the rest of the night and most of the next day awaiting a call from Charlie, and when it finally came, I was giddy with excitement and ready to go. I was told to meet a college girl at the mall in front of the food court and that from there she'd drive me up to Seaford. There I'd be given a makeover and the next morning I'd be taken to Seaford Boys' School, where I'd spend the rest of my school days incognito as a boy. I was not to tell anybody where I was going, when I'd be back _(as if) _or anything that might blow my cover.

I slipped out my window for the last time as I prepared to set off on my crazy adventure, not even bothering to leave a note for Cynthia to find. She'd have to notice for herself that I was gone. I smiled as an image of her finding that her charge had disappeared, leaving her to care for the shell of her father and wondering where she had gone. A pang of guilt hit me when I remembered that I was also leaving my dad, but I quickly dismissed it, saying that it was best for the both of us to have some time to ourselves. He needed to get better, to recover from the shock of losing my mother. If he needed to be alone to do so, then by all means I was going to let him recover by himself.

I arrived at the mall and looked around for a girl matching the description given to me by Charlie. A tall girl with ling brown hair and bright green eyes who had an unnatural liking for the color blue wouldn't be that hard to find.

Sure enough, I found her. She was standing in front of the aquarium store, apparently mesmerized by the colorful fish swimming around in a tank that was part of their window display. She was clad in tight blue jeans and a thin periwinkle sundress on top of a gray long-sleeved shirt. Her hair was tied back in an elaborate looking braid held together with a grey ribbon, she was really pretty.

"Excuse me, are you Katrina?" I asked, tapping her on the shoulder. I was suddenly nervous that it wasn't really her, in which case I'd just tapped on a random stranger.

She flashed a smile, "Yes I am! But please, call me Kat. Katrina is _such_ a stuffy name. And you must be Kim, pleased to meet you." I shook her hand and she ushered me to her car, chattering about how amazing she thought it was that I was going to be undercover as a guy and how I shouldn't worry about it too much and how pretty I was. I found myself blushing, not used to the complements she was giving me, but not rejecting them either.

After about three hours in the car with Kat, we finally arrived at what I guessed was my brother's apartment. Kat rang the intercom and Charlie's voice crackled through the speakers, granting us entry so we could begin my transformation from girl to boy. As soon as we got upstairs, I was enveloped in a huge bear hug by my brother, one that I eagerly returned.

Charlie and I had always been inexplicably close, not fighting as often as a brother and sister should, not that our mom ever complained. Once we learned about mom's disappearance, we only got closer. After he moved out for college, I realized that I missed him more that I thought I would, and I ended up calling him at least three times a week just to hear his voice.

"Man I missed you Kimmy," he said. I smiled as I retreated; he was the only person alive that could call me that, well, besides my mother. "Ready to be a guy?" I nodded and sat down on a stool as Kat got to work, transforming my head of long, golden hair into that of a boy's. I had to hold back a yelp as the first clumps of hair started falling, and I had to beg and plead for it not to end up too short, saying that I'd like to be a girl at least in private. I finally settled for a longish pixie cut, something I could gel up during the day but still look like a girl when it was soft and free.

When Charlie handed me the uniform, I just about died. It was so boring, so private school lame. It was a pair of gray dress pants, a crisp white dress shirt, and a royal blue blazer with the gold Seaford emblem on it, and a thin blue and silver striped tie.

"You have no idea what I went through to find one in your size, be grateful I didn't have to get you the elementary uniform," he said as I wrinkled my nose in distaste. I plucked it out of his hands and went to change, coming out of the bathroom looking like an actual boy. Well, a sort of, _feminine_ boy, but I looked good enough to fool a few high school guys. I hoped.

"Well hey there Keegan, looking good," Kat said as she studied me up and down. She leaned down to straighten my tie and then stepped back. "My work here is done." She flopped down on the couch and was immediately asleep.

"She does that," Charlie said as he carefully wrapped a blanket around her. "But more importantly, you look great." He checked the time on his phone and told me to go to bed already, that I could sleep in his bed and that he'd sleep on the floor.

"Come on Char, _you _sleep in _your own_ bed, I don't mind sleeping on the floor for one night," I argued. He had already done so much for me that I felt bad throwing him out of his bed. After about ten minutes of arguing, we finally agreed to both sleep in his bed, just like we used to do when we were on vacation. He tossed me a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, telling me to keep them for my pajamas and we crashed almost as quickly as Kat had, only to wake up what seemed to be only ten minutes later when Charlie's alarm went off.

"Turn it off…" I mumbled, still half asleep and trying to block out the sound with the pillow I had been using. "Turn it off…!" When it became apparent that nobody was going to silence the damned thing, I shot my eyes open and slammed my hand on the 'off' button and sighed heavily. I went to run my hands through my hair, only to find that most of it was gone, immediately remembering my situation. I looked to my left to see Charlie still sleeping next to me, underneath most of my limbs. I struggled to keep in a laugh; I had never been a still sleeper. Whenever my brother and I had to share a bed in a hotel when we were younger, he would always complain that I moved way too much and would wake up the next day under the tangled mess that at the time he wasn't too proud to call his sister.

"Charlie, get up," I whispered, nudging him. When all he did was turn on his side, I lost all my patience immediately and lined up my face with his, screaming at the top of my lungs.

"What? What's happening? Kim!" he yelled, jumping up, ready to attack a nonexistent assailant. When he saw me laughing on the floor, his expression turned from that of an overprotective brother to a face of pure annoyance. "Hey, watch it kiddo. I'm risking a lot to get you into that school. Be appreciative," he growled.

"I never said I wasn't, oh big brother. You just wouldn't wake up, what did you want me to do?" I asked sweetly. He gave me an annoyed smile and got up groggily just when Kat game through the door, baseball bat in hand yelling in a language I couldn't understand.

"Kim just woke me up, in a _less than pleasant way_," he said, motioning to me. "Sorry we scared you."

She looked puzzled, "Who's Kim?" I just looked at her like she was an idiot. "I only see Keegan here Charlie." She winked she turned to leave, calling over her shoulder that she'd be making breakfast and for me to hurry and get my uniform on or I'd be late for my first day of school. I realized she was right and scrambled to get dressed and boyish, rabid killer bears fighting angry hornets in my stomach. Ladies and gentlemen, when someone says they have butterflies in their stomach, they're lying to you. Because there's no way butterflies can be so savage.

I skipped breakfast, finding it hard to eat with that extreme battle still going on in my stomach. After Charlie ate enough food to feed a small army, he drove me to school where I would turn in my "transfer papers" which stated that I used to go to Seaford Public High School and receive my dorm assignment and class schedule.

"But wait Charlie, how am I supposed to keep my secret if I'm living with _another guy_? Isn't it going to be a bit weird when I come out of the shower with a towel around my whole body and not just my lower half? And boobs?" I asked, suddenly worried that this wouldn't work out. I bit my lip as he took his own sweet time to answer, the battle occurring in the pit of my stomach threatening to spill out.

"The dorms are big enough, your roommate won't see anything unless you let him," he said without taking his eyes off of the road. "So you'd better not let him see anything." He gave me that overprotective brother look as we pulled into the parking lot.

"I can't take you in, I have to get to class. Good luck, call me later," he said planting a kiss on my cheek and popping open the trunk so I could get my things. Well, my one bag.

"Thanks Charlie, you're the best," I said as I climbed out of the car and looked in the rearview mirror to make sure that I looked as manly as possible. "Love you!"

I trudged to the entrance, slightly peeved that the entrance was so far away from the parking lot. Just because this was a private school and the buildings were impressive shouldn't mean that there should be such a long walk just to get inside. By the time I got to the doors, I was so hot that I was tempted to take off the blazer and loosen my tie, but breaking dress code before I was even officially part of this school was a bad idea. I sighed and pushed open the double doors and found my way to the office's front desk where a lady with cat-eye glasses and an interesting choice in makeup greeted me coldly.

"You are?" she asked, as if I were interrupting her special quiet moment, which I probably was.

I cleared my throat and prepared myself to drop my voice a couple octaves, "I'm Keegan. Keegan Crawford, I'm transferring here from Seaford Public High School." The lady took out a file and leafed through it, handing me three sheets of paper.

"This first one is your dorm assignment. It has the building and room number right here," she said, pointing to the top left of the paper. "This one's a map of the campus, don't get lost. This last one is your class schedule. You're enrolled in the school's music division, so most of your classes are musically inclined, save for your core classes like math. You'll have the rest of today to get settled in, tomorrow you'll start your classes normally." I took all the papers and the lady shooed me out of the office, eager to get back to the silence of the empty office. I squinted down at the paper with my dorm on it, the glare of the sun reflecting on the white paper hurting my eyes.

After wandering around, attempting to find where I was going to live for the rest of my school life, I finally found my dorm.

"Dorm number… 217…" I muttered to myself, ripping the key off of the sheet of paper as I looked for the room. When I reached it, I opened the door on just about the biggest dorm room I had ever seen.

Immediately upon opening the door you saw a huge living room space with a comfortable looking sofa and a large flat screen TV. To the left opened to a medium sized storage closet and the two doors on the opposite walls opened to the bedrooms I would share with my roommate. I opened one, relieved to have it be the empty one that was mine. It had a four-poster bed in the middle, a nightstand to one side of the bed, the dresser against the wall and a desk with a computer sat adjacent to the door. It was a sight to see, and I'd be living in it!

As I turned to get the bag that I'd left in the doorway, I knocked into something. Or rather, someone.

"You really should close the door when you come in, _roomie_," came a voice from the person I'd knocked into. "And you are?"

I gulped, hoping that he didn't see right through me on the first day and squeaked, "K-Keegan." He chuckled and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you Keegan, I'm Jack. Jack Brewer," he said as he shook my hand. "You got a last name Keegan?"

I regained my composure and dropped my voice a few octaves, "Crawford. I'm Keegan Crawford."

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**A/N: Okay, so that's chapter one of Seaford Boys' School, I hope you all liked it as much as I do! If there's any Ouran High School Host Club fans out there, I'm sure you noticed my reference (hint: _Lobelia_). So yeah, I'll introduce everyone later on, let's do this!  
Love always,  
~Claudia**


	2. Chapter 2

I leaned against the doorway and took in the sight of my new roommate, Jack. He was tall and sort of tan, with the most luscious hair I had ever seen on a guy. He was muscular, but not too ripped, and had the _cutest_ two moles on his cheeks. No, wait. Those two moles were definitely _not_ cute because guess what, I'd just met the guy, and besides, for all he knew I _was_ a guy.

"Are you related to Charlie Crawford, by any chance?" he asked, eyeing me in a way that made me uncomfortable.

"Uhm yeah, he's my brother," I said quickly, hoping that he'd just drop the subject. If he knew Charlie, then he probably knew that he _didn't _have a brother, he had a sister!

"Oh cool, I didn't know he had a brother," he started, running a hand through his hair in a way that threatened to make me swoon. "He only talked about your sister, I can't remember her name right now… Clara?"

"Yeah, that's it," I said nervously. I couldn't tell him my real name, even if it wasn't directly about me. Keegan now had a sister named Clara, and there was no Kim in the family.

"Cool," he said with a million dollar smile playing on his lips. "I can show you around after class if you want, you're going to get lost on your own." I smiled and blushed a bit; his looks were starting to have an effect on me. I agreed and he went to his classes, leaving me to unpack by myself. When I got to the bottom of my backpack, I pulled out a few of my favorite outfits from my time as a girl and stuffed them in the bottom drawer beneath my extra uniform pants. Just because I was a guy at school didn't mean I had to be one all the time, right?

Once I finished unpacking, which admittedly didn't take very long at all, I decided to take a look around campus. I had a free day after all; why not take advantage of it?

I pulled the map that the lady at the front desk had given me from the coffee table at the entrance of the room and circled all the places I wanted to visit. Among those were the gym, the music wing, and the cafeteria. Before we fell asleep the night before, Charlie had told me that I was enrolled in the music program here; I could finally fulfill my dreams of becoming a concert pianist! I inwardly squealed, I was beyond excited to start my first day at Seaford.

Ever since I had first touched the ivory keys of a grand piano, I haven't been able to stop playing. That is, until Cynthia came along. She hated my piano, she'd tell me to _'stop tinkering with the keys'_ or to _'cut it out with that awful music'_ at least four times a day. But of course, that only made me want to play even more, the satisfaction of pissing off my aunt was but a bonus to being able to play the piano.

Although the map wasn't very big, it was still incredibly detailed and the red circles I had drawn looked very out of place against the organized layout. By the looks of it, the gym and the cafeteria weren't too far from the star that marked my dorm building, but the music wing was all the way across the lot. Maybe I wouldn't have to go to the gym after all… I shook my head, I had to stay focused and I needed to stay in shape if I wanted to keep at karate.

I did get up however, and I grabbed the keys to my room, ready to explore the school that I would be living at until I graduated. Suddenly Jack's face popped into my head, reminding me in a slightly smug way to lock the door behind me. I sighed and double-checked the lock before leaving the building to see what this school had to offer.

I set out across the campus, map clutched in hand, ready to explore the place I would now call home. The place was gorgeous, lush green tress grew everywhere and the school's buildings were scattered around, connected by a cute little pathways that cut through the thick grass. I could see guys milling around, some joking and some not, all trying to get to their classes before they were marked tardy by their teachers. Just as I looked down to inspect the map, I collided with someone, the force of the impact causing us both to fall to the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're going, pipsqueak," said the boy angrily. I gave him a once-over, he was a six-and-a-half foot tall block of solid muscle that wore a red track jacket over his uniform that read 'Black Dragons' on the chest and had a curly head of blondish hair. His posse, who donned the same jacket, pulled him up and gave me menacing looks.

"S-sorry," I said, dusting myself off and hoping that he was nicer than he had originally come off to be because right then, I was scared out of my pants and felt like I was bout to cry for some odd reason.

"Sorry won't cut it, pipsqueak. Nobody crosses paths with Frank Bickle and gets away un- unsca, uh… Without a scratch!" he said as he cracked his knuckles, the sound causing a shiver to run down my spine. He didn't seem very smart, but at that moment I'm pretty sure that even a butterfly could've given me a heart attack. I couldn't let myself look scared of this guy; I was a black belt for Pete's sake!

"B-bring it on," I said quickly, unaware that the words had even escaped my mouth. He looked angered even more, his face flushed a bright red, a color you can only achieve when you're brilliantly irritated, and he looked ready to pounce. I got into my stance and awaited the first punch, the punch that never came. I say this because as soon as his left arm moved, a tan hand caught his in mid-punch.

"You probably shouldn't have done that," Jack said, surprising me as much as Frank. When had he even gotten here to begin with?

"Jack, I can handle this," I said under my breath. He gave me a look and the fight commenced, Frank completely forgetting about me as he and his goons attacked, going exclusively for Jack. The fight couldn't have lasted more than three minutes before Frank and his friends lay on the ground moaning in pain, Jack had won with an impressive display of karate.

"Next time Brewer, next time…" muttered Frank, trying to point a finger at him to emphasize his words, but only achieving a weak flick of his wrist. I stood there, frozen in place, shocked not only that I had almost been in a fight on my first day at this school, but also that Jack and Frank knew karate.

"In your dreams Frank," Jack said, "and next time, stay away from my friend Keegan over here, alright?" I looked at him and searched for something to say, but I drew a blank and just looked to Frank to avoid looking at Jack.

"What were you thinking? About to take on Frank on your first day at this school. Do you even know who he is?" he scoffed, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me a bit. "He's a first degree black belt in karate, you could've gotten really hurt you idiot."

I was suddenly angry and my eyes blazed as I looked up at him, "Yeah? So you're saying that just because I'm a bit thinner and smaller than most guys, I can't take on a black belt? Well surprise for you genius, I _am_ a black belt. Second degree." That ought to shut him up.

His eyes grew wide, "You can do karate? Keegan, are you being serious?" I nodded, slightly annoyed at his disbelief. Before I could say anything, however, a teacher came onto the scene, looking very annoyed yet not surprised in the slightest at the sight of Jack and a beat up Frank.

"Mr. Brewer! Again? This is the third time this month you've beat up Mr. Bickle," he said, helping Frank stand again. He saw me and raised an eyebrow, "And you are?"

I cleared my throat, "Keegan, sir. Keegan Crawford." He nodded and turned back to Jack, listing the consequences of his actions. "Wait sir!" I cried, "Don't yell at Jack, he was only sticking up for me. Frank was going to beat_ me_ up instead, I knocked into him and I guess he was having a bad day. Just, don't blame Jack for this."

The teacher looked surprised, and he asked Jack, "Is this true Mr. Brewer?" Jack nodded his head and the teacher turned to me once more. "You're the new student here, aren't you Mr. Crawford?" I nodded. "Well I'm letting you off with a warning today, but this is the only time I will. Fighting is not tolerated here at Seaford, and if you really feel the need to hit something, hit the gym or join a karate club. Just don't get in fights and don't hit people. Am I clear?" I nodded again and when the man seemed satisfied, he turned and left. But not before hollering at everyone to get to class.

"Hey Keegan, wait up!" Jack called after me when I turned to continue my exploring. I sighed and stopped walking, waiting for him to catch up so I could take advantage of the rest of the day.

"You said earlier that you were a second degree black belt, was that true?" he asked, taking the map from my hands and turning it a few times until he chucked it over his shoulder.

"Hey! I need that idiot," I shouted as I ran back to pick up the now slightly crumpled map. "And yes, I wouldn't lie about that. I did karate in Nevada, which is where I used to live with my dad and aunt." It took a few seconds before I realized that I had left somebody out, "And my sister, she lived with us too!" _Nice save Kim…_

"Well, want to join the Bobby Wasabi Karate Team? You'll meet some of my friends and have somewhere to vent when you get pissed. Seem like a good idea?" he asked, a hopeful glimmer in his tree-bark eyes.

"Wait, Bobby Wasabi? Isn't that a chain of really bad dojos?" I asked skeptically. I had trained at a branch of the Otai Academy that had opened in Nevada, the only one in the United States. I was considered one of the best, and nobody cared that I was a girl there.

"Nah, the only bad one is the one we have here," he said sheepishly grinning. "The others are apparently really good, but we wouldn't know. Our little dojo is home, and we live by the Wasabi Code. So what do you say, are you in?"

I thought for a second before grinning and holding out my hand for a high five, "Definitely, I'm in!"

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**A/N: Ok, so before I say anything, I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING IN LIKE A MILLION YEARS. I know that's not the best way to start a new story but my apologies, we've been doing our state testing (FCAT) and today was the last day (thank god) so I had time to write. So I'm hopefully telling the truth when I say that I'll update a bit sooner next time!**

**So, thanks for the reviews! I'll answer a few questions in the author's notes instead of PM-ing, ok?  
****  
Kickfan4life: No, I actually didn't name the aunt after me! I just thought Cynthia sounded like a mean aunt's name (sorry to all the wonderful Aunt Cynthias out there!) My name is Claudia, in case you were wondering ;D (you probably weren't...) **  


**Iambetterthanyou239: I haven't read 'She's The Man' actually... Mind linking me to it? (I'm too lazy to look it up myself...) **

**So all in all, thank you so much for reading and for reviewing, and I'll see you guys next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

After Jack excused himself and trotted across the grass to make it to his first class in time, I smoothed out my map as best I could and tried to reorient myself and find the gym. Jack's shimmering eyes and lopsided smile wouldn't leave my thoughts as I trudged on in the impressive May heat, although the red tinge to my cheeks had nothing to do with the temperature.

My heart was still pounding and I thought back to my defenselessness when Frank had picked the fight only moments before, and I was secretly glad that Jack was there to save me. I could usually beat a guy like him in a fight, easy, but for some reason I just couldn't function in front of the Frank. I wondered for a moment if he was the class bully that all schools had before mentally kicking myself for getting on his bad side. Of course I just _had_ to start off my new school life by making it to the bully's inevitably large number of blacklisted students. For all I knew, he could make my life a living hell here because of those few minutes where I had managed to piss him off and get his ass kicked!

My mind wandered to his track jacket and my curiosity peaked at the memory of the Black Dragons symbol I saw. Was that some sort of high school fraternity or something? No way, that was just a stupid idea. His display of karate flashed in my head and I assumed it was one of those karate clubs that the teacher had mentioned when he let Jack and me off the hook. They had to be good, if they had a black belt that doubled as the biggest bully and douche I had ever seen in my life as the leader of their group.

I looked around and I found myself in front of a huge building labeled 'Alfred Seaford Gymnasium and Fitness Center.'

_"Huh, that's a mouthful,"_ I thought as I pushed through the double doors to find an incredibly huge gym. There were several floors, but I was greeted with a few basketball courts and a small desk off to the side with signs advertising different activities and the schedules, upcoming school games, and prices and times for different classes. As I was browsing through the first floor and checking out the basketball courts, a flight of stairs going down caught my eye and I decided to see where they led. I was surprised to find an indoor pool are on the bottom level, complete with a lap pool, a diving well, a shallower and smaller pool, and even a Jacuzzi. Oh how that Jacuzzi called my name, but I new better since it would've been extremely weird and suspicious if a boy went in there with a bikini on…

There were locker rooms to my left and to my chagrin; there were no changing stalls or even walls separating the showers! It looked as if I wouldn't be using the locker rooms here anytime soon.

I ventured up past the basketball courts to the second floor containing several treadmills and other various workout machines on one side, and a whole weights section on the other. Another set of stairs led to the final floor, a glass-roofed track room with a kiosk where stopwatches and the like could be rented. Throughout the entire building vending machines were scattered that sold everything from drinks and snacks to cold towels and deodorant.

After I had walked around the whole building and felt thoroughly impressed, I decided to hit the cafeteria next. Judging by the pictures on the map, I determined that it wasn't that far from the gym and that I'd make it in no time.

When I got out of the gym, I saw that the boys were milling around campus again and I wondered what time it was. I checked my phone and it was already one-thirty! I couldn't believe that I spent so much time in just one building, but seeing how big and impressive it was, it made sense that I was in there for so long. Suddenly my stomach growled so loudly that I was almost sure that the nearest group of guys heard it, and I decided that I wouldn't just tour the cafeteria.

When I arrived at the building named 'Jacob Seaford Dining Hall,' I could already smell a combination of various foods and it made my mouth water just thinking about what could be inside. I pushed open the doors and I saw an enormous eating area with numerous tables placed in the center and several different buffet-styled serving places, each with steaming hot food just waiting to be sampled.

"Keegan!" came a voice from the sea of boys that occupied the cafeteria. "Keegan, over here!" I turned to where the voice was coming from and located Jack, along with two other boys that I hadn't seen around campus yet. I made my way over and prepared myself to once again lower my voice a few octaves as to not raise suspicion on myself.

"Hey Jack," I said with a grin as I sat down at the table that they were all at. Jack sat next to a thin yet muscular Latino boy with dark curly hair and a huge grin and he introduced him as Jerry Martinez. He then introduced an even thinner redhead with freckles and the lightest skin I had ever seen as Milton Krupnick. Milton and Jerry looked like complete opposites, the first wearing his uniform in perfect order and the latter with his necktie loosened and shirt untucked and the first few buttons undone.

"Nice to meet you, you must be Keegan," Milton said with an outstretched hand, and I assumed he wanted me to shake it. I took it and smiled, hoping that my handshake wasn't too girly or loose.

"Yo, 'sup," Jerry said coolly with a small wave of his hand.

I nodded in his direction and asked, "What's good to eat here?" I looked around again and found everything so appetizing that I didn't even know where to begin.

"The burgers are pretty good," Jack said, pointing to the far end of the place.

"The pizza is swag," Jerry said, waving his hand in the general direction of a booth that had a huge pizza as its identification symbol.

"If you want something _healthy_," he said, eyeing both Jack and Jerry, "you can go to the vegetarian booth and salad bar. They have an excellent grilled chicken salad." Now that sounded appetizing.

"Where's that? It sounds pretty good," I asked, my hunger almost becoming unbearable at the mention of the salad.

"It's kind of in a corner so I can take you," he said with a small smile. "It's not like either of these two bozos know where the salad bar would be." I suppressed a girly giggle and followed him, hearing the protests of the other two boys behind us.

"So Kim, where'd you come from? Enrolling here when we're almost through with the spring term is pretty unusual," he said as we zigzagged through the mobs of guys trying to get to the chicken wings.

"Uh, I used to go to the public high school but my brother wanted me to come here instead, you know, keep the family legacy going and all that jazz. I tried out last year but the music division was full, so when they finally told me there was an opening, I took it," I said, hoping that my story sounded believable.

"Oh really? You're related to Charlie Crawford, right?" I nodded, surprised that he knew that much. "Jack told us," he said, clearly reading the slight confusion on my face.

"Ah, I got it," I said as we finally arrived at the salad bar. I glanced at the menu before ordering that chicken salad that Milton had mentioned and let me tell you, it looked amazing.

"You're not really a guy, are you?" he said seemingly out of nowhere. I almost dropped my salad and my heart started racing like during the incident earlier.

"N-no, what makes you say that?" I asked, my voice cracking. My hands started to shake and I tried my hardest to control them, but to no avail.

"Charlie doesn't have a brother and responded to Kim earlier," he said as-a-matter-of-factly. "And you look too feminine to be a guy, no offence." I sighed, I couldn't believe that even though I had only met this kid a few minutes ago he already saw right through me.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" I said worriedly, letting my real voice take over. "I _have_ to be here, I can't go home to Nevada. I can't." Milton chuckled and put a hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"Nah, that wouldn't be any fun now would it?" he said with a weird tone, and I sort of trusted him because of it. I thanked him and we made our way back to the table, but not before I could whisper something that I knew could make or break my stay here at Seaford Boys School.

"Is it really that easy to tell I'm a girl?" I asked in a hushed voice.

He shook his head, "I just have an eye for detail." We were almost at the table by then, "Just work on your handshake and you should be fine hun." I smiled as we sat down and Jack cracked a joke.

"You guys sure are pretty close already," he said with a twinkle in his eye that made me smile more than I should have.

"He just told me a secret, that's all," Milton said as he dug into what looked like some sort of flatbread with meat on it. I made a mental note to try it someday. I kicked Milton under the table and he winced, and I knew I had made it clear enough that he wasn't supposed to ever talk about that.

At the mention of a secret, Jerry sat up straight, "What secret yo, I want to know!" He looked like a little kid at that moment and I shook my head sternly and took a bite out of my salad to make it obvious that I wasn't going to tell him. "Come on Keegan, please?" he whined, and I only looked away and continued to enjoy my lunch. He eventually gave up and concentrated on his pizza, still pouting but not whining anymore. Jack just shrugged and moved on.

"So guys, Keegan's joining us in our karate adventures, say hello to our newest Wasabi Warrior," Jack said as he held up my arm by my wrist. "I honestly don't know how you're a second degree black belt when your wrists are _this thin_." He wrapped his index and thumb around my wrist for emphasis and I yanked my arm back, making up some half-assed excuse for my small frame.

"Hey, I trained at the Otai Academy, so I really could take you out right now if I wanted to," I said menacingly.

"No way, you went to Japan and studied at the Otai Academy? What the hell are you doing here?" Jerry asked, forgetting about the secret I wouldn't tell him.

I shook my head and laughed, "Not the original one, they opened up a dojo in the city I used to live in and one day I just decided to join. It was a lot of fun there, although the training was really intense." They all stared at me; mouths wide open and jaws slack.

"I didn't know there was an Otai dojo here in Seaford," Milton said with a cheeky and mischievous grin.

"Yeah, take us! I want to see yo!" Jerry chimed in, almost dropping his pizza in the process.

"Are you being serious right now Keegan?" Jack asked incredulously.

"W-well, not exactly in Seaford… It's in Nevada, I used to live in Nevada," I said, stumbling over my words. I eyed Milton and gave him the meanest glare I could conjure up, but he continued pressing the issue.

"You lived in Nevada but still came here to Seaford for school? Wow, talk about a commute!" I kicked him under the table again, harder this time, enough to make him wince in pain, and came up with another story.

"Well there weren't any good schools anywhere near my town so I decided to come here. And the commute's only like two and a half hours, its not that bad," I said quickly. I swore to get Milton back one day soon for this.

"That's still a lot of time! Why would you do that?" Jack asked, pressing on the subject.

"I don't know, I just did. Can we drop it now, please?" I pleaded, trying not to look suspicious but still change the subject. "So uh, who else is part of the Wasabi Warriors?"

"It's just us man," Jerry said with a weird smile. "That's why we were so pumped to get a new member!"

"Well, we used to have another guy with us, Eddie. But he couldn't afford the tuition here anymore and he had to leave. We haven't talked to him in a few months," Milton said with a touch of sadness in his voice.

"And Mr. Gillespie, we just call him Rudy, is our sensei. He's a huge Bobby Wasabi fan and a bit of a goof sometimes, but we can always count on him for anything," Jack added and Jerry and Milton nodded in unison.

"Mr. Gillespie? Is he like a teacher or something?" I asked curiously. "What does he teach?"

"Well actually, he's our dorm adviser," Jack said with a small shrug. "Like I said, a bit of a goof but if you ever need anything, you can always just go to him to talk and he'll definitely help." I nodded and finished off my lunch as the bell rang for everybody to go back to class. We all got up and threw out our trays, parting ways when we got outside.

"If you still want me to show you around, meet me at the room like around three, okay?" Jack called over his shoulder as he and the guys left to their next class, which according to Milton was geometry.

"Yeah, sure," I said with a wave as I turned and unfolded my map once more, ready to navigate to the Music Wing. I followed the path on the map and eventually came up to a big concrete building called the 'Richard Seaford Music and Concert Hall' and I could already feel my fingertips yearning for the ivory keys of a piano.

_"Gosh, how many Mr. Seafords are there?"_ I thought as I let myself into the air-conditioned building that was inevitably full of instruments I could only ever dream of playing. I was in awe from the moment I set eyes on the enormous concert hall that stood before me in its entire grand splendor. There were rows and rows of plush velvet seats in front of the absolute largest stage I had ever seen in my entire life. Red velvet curtains to match the seats hung in front of the stage and I felt compelled to go up there and take in the view from another perspective.

I gingerly walked up the steps to the stage and my breath was instantly taken away as I looked out into the room. I sat in a solitary stool I had found off to the side and imagined that a huge crowd was waiting for me to play my masterpiece. I conjured up the image of my mom's piano and started to play her favorite song, the melody bringing tears to my audience's eyes. I'm not sure how long I was up there playing in my imaginary concert, but it was long enough for me to think I was actually hearing claps. I opened my eyes and was startled to see that Jack was standing at the back of the hall clapping for my imaginary piano solo. I was so surprised by his sudden appearance that I tumbled off of the stool and onto the polished wooden floor, hitting hard.

"Ow…" I mumbled, rubbing my hip where I had landed the hardest. "What the hell Jack, aren't you supposed to be in class?" I gave him a look, I was thoroughly annoyed at his sudden appearance and the pain in my hip was a big contender for my attention.

He loosened his tie and shoved his hands in his pockets coolly before responding, "Well man, seeing as it's almost four, I was pretty sure you ditched me. I decided to go looking for you and lo and behold, here you were putting on a pretty impressive concert. What were you playing anyway?"

I just looked at him, "What do you mean? Just an imaginary song I guess." I sat back down on the stool again and straightened my blazer. He gave me a funny look in return and sunk down into one of the velvet seats close to him. I could tell that the place had killer acoustics because even though he was several rows away, I could hear Jack as well as if he were right next to me.

"Well, it's got to be some song to make a guy move around like that. You were really into it, that's all," he said, moving his arms around apparently mimicking my jolts and sways.

"Yeah whatever just show me around already," I huffed, coming down from the stage with my arms crossed and making my way toward him.

"Have you seen all the instruments already?" he asked, leading me down a staircase that I hadn't noticed. Before I could respond we were in a large room filled from top to bottom with almost every instrument imaginable. There were flutes, oboes, and clarinets. Tubas, trombones, and trumpets. Drums, guitars, pianos, accordions, ukuleles, everything any musician would ever need was in that room!

"Wow…" I breathed as I made my way to a particularly handsome piano, a sleek upright with signs of its age but not enough to make it old looking or ugly. The keys looked well worn and familiar, as if I could channel my years of playing through this one, aged piano. I tinkered the keys and moved on, taking in the guitars and eventually making my way to the jazz instruments.

After I'd seen enough, Jack showed me to the area where most classes were held, the greenhouse, and an old, unmarked planetarium that was in such disrepair that there was caution tape at the entrance. Jack ducked under without batting an eyelash and motioned for me to do the same, insisting that this was where he would come to think if he were ever in trouble or stressed and I knew why. There was a certain calming aura to the place, and the ivy climbing the walls was absolutely breathtaking. Eventually we made our way back to the cafeteria for dinner and by the time we made it back to the dorm, I was too tired to do much other than flop on my bed and half fall asleep.

"Dude, at least change or something," Jack said as he passed by in his boxers, causing me to struggle to keep myself in check. His abs were so toned, his biceps perfectly formed… I shook my head and the thoughts diminished, leaving me to mumble a response to my roommate and get up to take action. I shut the door and changed into the shorts and tee shirt that Charlie had given me, and fell fast asleep, not even bothering to unwrap the bandages from my chest because I was just too tired to care.

My first day at Seaford Boys School had been filled with a scare, some amazing discoveries, new friends, and the exciting promise of a new life. I was somewhat ready to face my first day of classes the next morning, but nothing could prepare me for the day's events.

* * *

**A/N: So okay I kind of really felt bad for not updating in like eight million years and both TearsLost and EpicicDude gave me that little push to write the next chapter so here you guys go! I hope you like it and that its not too boring with all the descriptions and whatnot... Did you like how Milton figured it out literally right after meeting her? Hehe plot twists are the best ;D So yeah, thank you for reviews and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning my eyes flew open at the sound of somebody pounding on my door and yelling me name, "Keegan! Keegan, get up!"

"Hm?" I mumbled, still half asleep as I rubbed my eyes and pulled my pillow over my head.

"Keegan! Get up man, we're late!" Jack yelled, still pounding on my door. He said what now? I shot up in bed and checked the time, it was already ten in the morning and school was supposed to have started at eight!

"What the hell, what happened?" I screamed, running around my room and getting dressed then dashing to the bathroom and almost tripping over Jack, who was brushing his teeth, in the process.

"I don't know, I guess neither of us set an alarm," he said, pushing me out of the way so he could spit out his toothpaste. "But all that matters is that if we don't get to class _right now_, Mr. Calle's going to be pissed!" I looked at him before shrugging and finishing my hair, grabbing my toothbrush and starting to brush my teeth as I searched around the dorm for my shoes. _Aha._ I found them just in time and by the time I rinsed my mouth out Jack was already waiting impatiently by the door. "You take about as much time to get ready as a girl, let's go."

"Shut up," I said as I shoved him aside and ran down the hall. "Where's Mr. Calle's room again?" I called over my shoulder, not remembering anything about a Mr. Calle in the tour he gave me the day before.

"Music wing!" he yelled, catching up to me and grabbing my arm, pulling me with him and forcing me to keep up with his pace. I nodded and we both ran as if our lives depended on it across campus and when we barreled through the doors of the music wing, an unhappy Mr. Calle greeted us at the door.

"My, my, Mr. Brewer. Nice of you to join us this morning," he said in a threatening tone. "And you boy, what's your name? I haven't seen you before." I gulped, this teacher sure was intimidating. He loomed over both me and Jack, surprising me with his height and his angry disposition.

"Uh, um, Keegan Crawford sir," I said quickly, choking over my words but managing to clearly say my new name. Jack started to sidestep away from me, taking advantage that Mr. Calle's attention was on me and trying to make his way to the empty seats toward the back of the room.

"Not so fast, Mr. Brewer," the teacher said, reaching out and catching him by the collar of his blazer. "It's a pleasure to meet the newest addition to my music program Mr. Crawford, but please refrain from being late to my class again," Mr. Calle said, turning his attention back to be before yanking Jack back and shooing me out of the way.

"But you, Jack Brewer. This is _the last_ time that you are late to my class, do you understand?" he said, pointing a fat finger in Jack's face. He gulped but nodded, finally escaping the teacher's strong hold and even stronger glare. "Now both of you take your seats and take out your instruments." Jack and I shared a look before making our way to the empty seats by the back of the classroom. When we passed the wall that held string instruments, Jack plucked a handsome-looking violin and bow from it and took it to his seat. I just folded my hands together and continued walking, unsure of whether or not I should say something about my not having an assigned instrument yet. Instead, I followed Jack's lead and sat down next to him.

"All of you continue practicing your pieces! This is _not_ the time to be messing around!" Mr. Calle barked, scaring the boys and making them jump before the room erupted in sound, every instrument being played blending together into one loud mess of sound. He scanned the room with a slightly approving look before landing his sights on me. "You there, Mr. Crawford. What exactly do you think _you're_ doing? Where is your instrument?" Suddenly the music stopped.

"Did I tell you morons to stop playing? Get on with your practices!" he yelled again, causing everyone to turn back to their sheet music. "Why do you not have an instrument boy, speak!"

"W-well, today is my first day in class sir," I started, my voice barely audible, "and I haven't been assigned an instrument yet." He gave me a look before asking me what I could play. "Well I can play the guitar and violin, although my best and favorite instrument is the piano, sir."

"Hm, follow me then," he said, motioning for me to get up before turning and weaving his way through the chairs and music stands. He led me to a large and sleek grand piano that I had seen yesterday and said, "Meet your new instrument. For the next two and a half years you will be breathing piano music. You will learn how to properly play as I doubt you have the technique required to play such an instrument in the way that it is intended and by the time you graduate from this school and my program you will be well on your way to a professional career in the musical arts."

I just stood there in awe, admiring the newest addition to my life, jolted from my trance when Mr. Calle ordered me to play my best piece. I nodded and quickly took a seat, searching through my mind before I chose the right song. I closed my eyes and set my fingers on the keys, beginning to play 'Requiem for a Dream', the song my mom had started to teach me while on leave from the army. She was called away before we could finish so I taught myself the rest, hoping to show my mom how good I had become the next time she came home. I never did.

When I finished, I noticed that the whole room had gone quiet again but this time, Mr. Calle was not yelling at his students to get back to work. I looked up to him and noticed he was deep in thought, speechless even.

"I-I've heard this piece before… But the way you played it could rival that of any professional pianist. Very well done Mr. Crawford," he said, pushing up his glasses and rubbing at his eye, suggesting that I had actually brought a tear to his eye.

"Th-thank you sir," I said quickly, not trusting myself to say anything else. He snapped his head up and glared at the rest of the class, once again signaling that it was time to get back to work. He excused himself for a moment and dashed off to his desk, coming back a few minutes later with sheet music in his hand.

"Judging by the amount of talent it takes to play 'Requiem for a Dream' like that, I would say that you would be able to play this piece, albeit with some practice. Take a look," he said, placing the papers in my hand. I read the title to find that it was Gustav Holt's 'Mars, Bringer of War'.

"But sir, this is written for two pianos. I can't play this myself," I said, scanning over the music for the piano duo.

"You need only learn one piano, although if you can convince my best pianist to play the other part it would be best," Mr. Calle said, pointing to a certain brunette.

"Jack is your best pianist?" I asked in disbelief. I had learned that he was in the music program in a half-asleep stupor this morning and had accepted that he played the violin. Now I was supposed to believe he played the piano _AND_ he was the best? "But he's playing the violin!"

"He gave up the piano halfway through last year and hasn't so much as _touched_ one ever since, settling for mediocrity with a violin," he said with a disapproving sigh. "I don't understand why he doesn't want to play the piano anymore, that boy was a prodigy!"

"Okay but how am I supposed to get him to play the piano if he hasn't touched one in over a year? Honestly, I don't think I'll be able to do it, I just met the guy," I said, glancing in his direction to find that he was watching us now. I quickly focused back on Mr. Calle instead.

"Where there's a will, there's a way Mr. Crawford," he said as he walked away before I could question him any further. I looked back down at the sheet music and sighed, if learning the piece was going to be hard, add onto it the fact that I had to convince Jack to play with me. I was less than excited.

* * *

"What were you guys talking about by the piano Keegan?" Jack asked as we walked across the campus to the cafeteria. I swallowed hard before turning to him and answering.

"Uh, nothing. He just gave me a really hard piece to learn and I was trying to get an easier one… He didn't give in," I lied, hoping that he would buy it.

"Oh, that sucks," he said quickly, stopping and patting his pockets. "Shoot! I forgot something in Mr. Calle's, go on without me." I nodded and he started running back to the music wing, leaving me to navigate to the lunchroom by myself.

By the time I found where Milton and Jerry were sitting, they were already halfway through lunch and arguing about something.

"For the last time, unicorns don't exist Jerry! If Xanadu is real, point it out to me on a map," Milton yelled, taking out a folded sheet of paper that surprisingly turned out to be a world map.

"I can't! It's a whole 'nother planet Milton. Besides, I know it's real! I read it in a book!" Jerry said, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

"And what book might that have been Jerry?" Milton asked, slamming down his hand on the table, causing my chicken sandwich to jolt.

"This one!" Jerry said, pulling out a comic book called 'Xanadu'.

"Jerry, that's a _comic book_! Nothing in there is real!" Milton cried, yanking the comic out of Jerry's hand and chucking it across the room. He had a surprisingly good arm and it landed pretty far away, in some unsuspecting guy's potato salad. "Oh hey there Keegan, how has the first day been so far?"

"Oh it's been fine, but do you guys always argue like this?" I asked, eyeing Jerry who looked pretty upset at the moment.

"Oh this? It's just because Jerry was being _stupid_, that's all," he said rather calmly. "And I'm glad to hear you're having a good time here!" I nodded and started eating, hurrying to make it before lunch period was over. I finished just in time, emptying my plate into the garbage when the bell rang.

"By the way Kim, we have practice today after class. Four o'clock sharp in the gym!" Milton whispered as I was getting up.

"Don't call me that Milton," I whispered threateningly, clenching my fists.

"Woah, save that for practice, missy!" he said before scurrying off into the crowd, narrowly escaping a beating by me. I sighed and hurried to my next class, breezing by the rest of the day until it was finally time for practice.

"Hey Keegan," Jack greeted me as I walked into the gym, gi in hand. I waved to him and went off to the bathrooms to change. "You know the changing room is this way, right?" he said, pointing to the locker rooms that I told myself I wouldn't use.

"Y-yeah, I know. I just… I just have to use the bathroom!" I said quickly before running off in the opposite direction toward the bathroom. I closed the door and caught my breath, suddenly really nervous about keeping my secret.

"What's with him?" I heard Jack say from the bathroom. I brought a hand up to my head and sighed, hoping that I didn't look as suspicious as I thought. I scoped out the large bathroom and changed as quickly as I could, meeting the rest of the guys out in a corner of the gym for practice.

"So Rudy's busy today but really all we're doing is seeing where you're at," Milton said to me as soon as I joined them. "Since it's your first day, spar with me. I'm the lowest belt right now, blue. Jerry's got a purple belt and Jack is a second-degree black belt. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I said, confident that it wouldn't be too hard to beat him. I was right, within thirty seconds of starting the match I already had pinned Milton down beneath me.

"You're pretty good for a girl," he mumbled as I helped him up.

"What?" Jerry asked, my eyes widened. "You're a-"

"Nothing!" Milton said, covering Jerry's mouth before he could say anything else. Jack just shrugged and told me that I was pretty impressive. I nodded nervously and followed Milton as he dragged Jerry to the far end of the room.

"You're a girl!" Jerry whispered loudly as soon as Milton removed his hand. "What the hell are you doing here? This is an all guy school!" he said, waving his hands all around, drawing a lot of attention to us.

"Haha, nothing to see here! Move along fellas!" I said as I grabbed Jerry's hand and brought them down. "Jerry, keep it down! Nobody can know okay?" I whispered. He nodded but I could tell he was still pretty shocked and confused. "Look, you can't tell _anybody_, not even Jack. I have to be here, I can't go home to my aunt. So just please, keep this between the three of us."

Jerry nodded again, "But why can't I tell Jack? I haven't lied to him, not ever. He's literally my best friend in the world, I know he wouldn't tell anybody." I shook my head and told him that the less people that knew the better.

"And you," I said, turning toward Milton, "what part of not telling anyone don't you understand? I trusted you!"

"Hey, I didn't actually _tell_ anyone! Jerry just happened to be listening at the moment and he found out by himself! Besides, what's _one_ person besides me that knows?" he said, raising his hands in the universal surrender position, backing up against the wall.

"What's one more person? It's another way for people to find out, another danger to me while I'm staying here! Why do you think I didn't tell anyone? People are going to know eventually because I'm sure this is going to leak somehow and it's all going to be thanks to you," I said, I was really mad but also I was extremely scared of what would happen if everyone found out I was a girl.

"Kim, calm down. Jerry and I aren't going to tell anyone, right Jerry?" he said calmly, pushing be back gently so he could look at the Latino boy and make sure he would say what he wanted him to.

"Yeah, chill out mamacita, nobody's going to know," Jerry said quickly. "We cool?" I nodded and we made our way back to a very confused Jack, making up some lame excuse for our faraway conversation and getting right back into the practice.

About twenty minutes later, Frank and his Black Dragons showed up to watch us.

"What do you want, Frank?" I asked harshly when he arrived with his posse. "You here to get your ass handed to you again?" I hear Jerry snicker but I was focused on Frank.

"Oh does the pipsqueak think he's all tough because he joined some loser karate club?" Frank retorted, smoothing out his track jacket. "Just because you're a Wasabi Loser doesn't mean you can take me on, twerp."

"Back off Frank, just leave before you get hurt," Jack said, stepping beside me and curling his fists.

"Jack, it's fine," I whispered to him. "You don't have to defend me anymore."

"How sweet, Jack's defending the little runt. I sense a romance budding boys," Frank jeered. "Wouldn't be the first gay guy I've beat up."

"That's it!" I yelled, lunging at the tall curly top, ready to beat him to a pulp. I felt myself stop in mid air, a pair of strong arms pulling me back.

"Stop Keegan, you'll get in more trouble than I did last time. Just let it go, he's just being an ass," Jack said, holding me back.

"Let me go Jack! Let me at him, I'll make sure he never walks again!" I yelled, fighting his grip and trying to get at Frank again.

"Aw, it seems I was right! Brewer and the flea have something going on!" Frank said again, throwing his head back in laughter.

"We're not gay!" we yelled at the same time. I was beyond furious and I wanted to kill Frank for saying that.

"Whatever you say, pipsqueak," he said before turning and sauntering away, still chuckling. I was fuming and Jack finally let me go.

"What the hell Jack? Why didn't you let me beat his ass? Now he's going to spread some rumor about us and we won't be able to stop it! I could've taken him!" I yelled, poking my finger into his chest with every sentence.

"And I'm sure you could've Keegan but if you hit him, you'll be in a whole mess of trouble. You heard Mr. Parsons the other day! Besides, it's just a rumor. It'll pass eventually if we don't let it get to us. There's no guarantee that anybody'll listen anyway, everyone hates Frank except himself and his goons," he said, grabbing me by my shoulders.

"Whatever. I'm going back to the room," I huffed, shrugging off his hands and grabbing my bag. "I'll see you later." I walked back to our dorm and locked myself in my room, just sitting there on my bed. Was Jack right, or would the rumor spread like wildfire? I honestly thought I'd escaped having to put up with rumors when I left my old school, but I guessed I was wrong. This was still high school, regardless of if I was a girl or a guy.

* * *

**A/N: Ah sorry again for not posting in a while... I hope you guys liked this chapter and that it was what you expected or more from the cliff I left you all on last chapter... School starts for me on Monday so I'll probably be updating less often (if that's even possible...) but I'll try to get something up on the weekends, okay? Thanks as always for reading and for your awesome reviews! See you all next chapter :D**


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week passed pretty quickly, although as I expected, the rumor of Jack and me being gay spread like wildfire. Jerry and Milton tried to defend us, but nothing worked and it got a little out of hand. As usual, the teachers pretended it wasn't happening so the students were free to yell out anything they liked. I heard insults like, "Faggot!" and, "Fucking pansy!" even some guys would ask me how Jack and I had sex and how often. I tried as hard as I could to turn the other way and ignore it or else I would've thrown away my secret identity and slapped some sense into those idiots.

In public Jack seemed as happy and carefree as always, but in the dorm he would get so mad about what was happening to us and he'd go on such a loud rampage that Rudy had come to shut him up several times, causing him to sulk around for the rest of the night.

The weekend couldn't come fast enough; I had had enough of being a boy for the time being. It seemed that Keegan and Jack were the center of attention and I hated it, so I was eager to just blend in with the Seaford crowd for a day, nobody would know me and I was perfectly okay with that.

Saturday was finally here though, and I was excited to explore the city. As soon as my eyes fluttered open I was stuffing my girl things into a backpack and tiptoeing out of my room.

"And where might you be going, Keegan?" Jack asked, startling me and causing me to jam my toe into the edge of the door. I yelped in pain and stooped down to examine my foot.

"Going into town," I mumbled, doubled over in pain still. "I'm going to be gone the whole day so if there's practice just do it without me." Jack just nodded and rubbed his eyes, he looked tired. "You look horrible, were you up all night?" I asked as I got up and hobbled to the sofa to put on my shoes.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," he said slowly as I plopped down next to him and started lacing up my sneakers. "What do you think about those rumors they're spreading about us?" I looked over at him and I could tell he was still in a funk from the night before.

"I think they're incredibly stupid, just because you stuck up for me doesn't mean you like me. And just because you're a pretty attractive-looking guy doesn't mean I like you. We're just friends and Frank's just being an idiot. That's what I think," I said, getting up and walking to the door, tossing a casual goodbye over my shoulder.

"You know, I think you might actually be gay for me Keeg," Jack said with a sly grin.

"You know, I think you might actually want me to break your legs Jack," I retorted. Jack held his hands up in surrender before I walked out, purposely leaving the door unlocked to annoy my roommate. I was almost down the hall before Jack poked his head out the door and shouted to me.

"We might be going into town later today, maybe we'll catch you!" he hollered down the hallway. "And _lock the door_." I laughed and waved at him before leaving the building and making my way through the front gate to the bus stop. I got off at the nearest restaurant and before going in I took off my blazer and any other signs that I might be coming from Seaford Boys' and entered the place, making a beeline for the girl's bathroom.

I found that the handicap stall was empty and I went straight into it to change in peace. I stripped down and dug into the bottom of my bag to pull out one of the few girl outfits I had packed and slipped it on. It was a black and white striped tank top and a bright yellow skirt with a black belt. I had also brought along some flats but I decided to keep my beat up chucks, they gave the outfit more character.

When I looked in the mirror I saw that my hair was still gelled at a weird angle and I knew I'd have to fix that. I washed my hair as best I could in the sink and sat under the hand dryer for quite a while to get it presentable. I finished off with two yellow and black clips in my hair and a touch of makeup. I inspected myself in the mirror before stepping out to the restaurant again and taking a look at the menu that hung above the bar.

The moment my eyes landed on some chocolate chip pancakes a waitress was holding, my stomach growled intensely and I remembered I hadn't stayed at school long enough for breakfast. I shrugged and took a seat at the bar area and the same waitress I had seen just moments before scurried to bring me a menu and take my order. As soon as my pancakes arrived, once again carried by the same waitress, I dug in and didn't stop eating until I had cleared my plate and drained my mug of hot chocolate. The waitress, whose name I learned was Megan, brought me the check and I reached into my bag for my wallet. When I opened it moths might as well have flown out of the folds from the lack of money that was in it.

"Uh, I'm sorry but I don't have any money," I said shamefully as I showed her my wallet. I mentally kicked myself for not thinking to bring my savings when I left; Cynthia was probably going through my stuff right now and taking all my life savings. Megan gave me a sympathetic smile and shook her head.

"It's alright dear, but there is an alternative," she said, leaning on the bar. I asked what it was and she explained. "As you can see, I'm the only waitress here. And as it turns out, I'm also the owner. We don't really have much help here on the weekends so if you want to pay off your breakfast and make some money, you can get a job here and help me wait tables," she said cheerfully.

"Oh I don't know, I've never been a waitress before," I said, surprised at the sudden job offer and how kind she had been at my inability to pay for my food.

"You don't need any prior experience hun, I'm sure you'll do just fine. And if you're worried about the money, I pay pretty well and you get to keep any and all tips you make," she said sweetly, making me want to take the offer. "Of course, that's after you've paid off your pancakes," she added with a wink.

"I think we have a deal, Ms. Megan," I said, holding my hand out for a handshake, which she heartily gave.

"Just give me a sec to get you an application form and an apron, you can start right away if you'd like. And just call me Megan!" she said with a smile as she scurried off into the back of the restaurant. I looked around a bit more and realized that it was actually pretty small, yet busy and full of customers. I could tell she needed some help by the amount of people lining up at the door to be seated, so I decided to start right then.

"Hi, my name's Kim, I just started working here!" I said as I approached the first few people in the line. "May I lead you to a table?" They nodded and I led them through the building to a table that looked like it could fit them all. "I'll be back with some menus!" I said brightly as I made my way back to the podium at the front that held the menus. As I brought them to the table Megan came out with a sheet of paper, a pen, and a pink apron.

"Already working hard I see," she said, surprised to see me at a table already. I nodded and she handed me the apron and told me to tie it around my waist like a skirt. "Since you already started, in the pockets are the notepad and pen you use to take orders and once you write down everything tear it out and take it to that window so Mark can cook the food, he's the cook and also my husband. He'll ring the bell once the order is ready and you take it to the table! Make sure to check on your customers once in a while though, got it?" she explained as she motioned to the window leading to the kitchen and back at the tables filled with customers. I nodded and turned around, asking if everyone was ready to order.

A few hours after I had served my first customers I was on a roll and I had gotten quite a few generous tips. I had almost finished clearing a table when I looked up toward the door and all but dropped the plates I was holding at the sight of the new customers, Jack, Jerry, and Milton. What were even the chances?

"Go on Kim, I bet they'd much rather have a cute teenage girl as their waitress instead of this old fart," Megan said. I looked back up and froze, knowing full well that Milton and Jerry would recognize me, and quite possibly even Jack.

"Oh no Megan, you're not that old. You should take this one!" I said quickly, hoping that she would oblige and save me from having to be their waitress. Instead, to my horror she scooped up the plates I held in my arms and pushed me toward them, causing me to scramble to stop myself, but to no avail. I crashed straight into Jack and we both toppled over, me landing on his toned chest.

"Woah there, be careful… Kim!" Jack said, leaning on his elbows and reading my nametag. His eyes came to life slightly with dull recognition before he added, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

My eyes widened and I raced to get myself off of him, "Sorry, nope! I'm just a waitress can I get you to a table? Oh where are my manners, sorry for making you fall! Ahaha let's go to a table now!" I said way too quickly as I dusted myself off and reached over to get some menus. I ended up dropping several in my haste, causing Jack to take more interest in me.

"Woah, slow down there blondie, you nervous or something?" he asked, stooping down to help me pick up the menus. "My looks aren't causing you to get flustered, right?" He shot me a million watt grin and it was all I could do to stay quiet and not blush.

"Wait, _Kim_?" Milton asked, coming to stand next to Jack. Jack turned around and I quickly dragged my hands across my neck in an 'X' shape and shaking my head madly, telling him to act like we didn't know each other.

"You know her Milton?" Jack asked before turning back to me. I dropped my hands to my side and hoped he wouldn't say anything.

"Uh, nope!" Jerry said quickly before Milton could say anything. "We've never seen this chick, right Milton?" Jerry punched Milton in the arm, as if reminding him of the promise, and as he winced, Milton shook his head.

"Oh, okay then. Can we go to a table now Kim?" Jack asked, shifting on his feet and looking at me weirdly.

"Uh, yeah," I said. "Right this way everyone." I led them to a booth near the back and left them to think about what they wanted to order. As I was walking back to where Megan was standing, I felt Jack staring at me and it made me incredibly uncomfortable.

"I saw you and that muscular brunette have a moment," Megan said, almost giddily.

"Why didn't you help me?" I cried. "I know those guys, but they haven't seen me as a girl!" As soon as I noticed what I had said, I clamped my hands over my mouth, feeling like an idiot.

"What do you mean, _they haven't seen you as a girl? _It looks like you have some explaining to do after work missy," Megan said, immediately noticing that there was something weird about my situation. "But they seem to be ready, don't keep them waiting." I nodded and went back over to the guys' table to take their order.

"What'll it be, boys?" I asked, feigning cheer.

"I'd like a stack of chocolate chip pancakes and some hot chocolate," Jack said politely, flashing me another winning smile. I found it odd that it was the same thing I had eaten for breakfast, except a larger portion.

"I'll have the eggs Benedict and orange juice," Milton said, eyeing me in a way that made me nervous.

"And uh, for me it'll be the scrambled eggs with bacon, toast, and hash browns," Jerry said, giving me the same weird look that Milton did. I nodded awkwardly and took the menus and delivered the order to the chef, Mark.

I looked over again and saw that Jerry and Milton had excused themselves from the table, making eye contact with me as if saying I should follow them as they walked to the hallway that led to the back door and the bathrooms. I slowly made my way over to my two confused friends, totally expecting the lecture I'd get from both of them.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" Milton asked, whispering rather loudly. "You do know that you can blow your cover with this, right? I mean, Jack _recognized_ you back there! What if next week he realizes that Keegan is really Kim?"

"Yeah Kim, Jack seriously saw something fishy out there, and getting a job at our favorite diner? Come on," Jerry added, whispering louder than Milton, if it was possible.

"I know, I know. But I didn't have any money! How do you expect me to pay off my breakfast if I'm broke? And how was I supposed to know you guys came to this place?" I asked, not even bothering to whisper.

"Just be careful, that's all we're asking Kim," Milton said calmly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We want this to work out for you and if Jack finds out then who knows what might happen."

"I'll be careful guys, thanks for worrying and keeping my secret," I said with a small smile.

"Don't blow it, _blondie_," Jerry said as he and Milton made their way back to the table. I laughed at Jerry's remark and just then, the bell signaling that the food was ready rang and I brought the guys their food.

"It looks great, thanks," Jack said with a wink as I set the plate in front of him. I blushed which only made him laugh, "You're cute, you know that? Your hair really suits you."

"You think so?" I asked as I brought a hand up to my newly short and straight hair, the giddy girl in me taking over and causing me to get all blushy and happy.

"I really do," Jack said quietly as I smiled a bit.

"Thanks," I said quickly as I dropped my hands, suddenly remembering who was giving the compliment and what my situation was. "Well, hope you all like it!" I chirped before turning to walk away. As I did, I caught sight of the scowls and glares I was receiving from Milton and Jerry. I shot them a look before returning to the front to help some more customers.

Twenty or so minutes later I saw from across the diner that the boys were done, so I cheerfully asked if they wanted desserts before bringing the check.

"You're very sweet, do you count as a dessert?" Jack asked in an extremely flirtatious way. I giggled and shook my head before turning away to bring them the check. "I seriously feel like I've met her before," I heard him say as I walked away, and suddenly I became extremely nervous.

"There's no way, I've never seen her before man," Jerry said, Milton adding in something similar although I didn't quite catch it.

"I'll leave this here for you, just holler when you're ready," I said with a small smile as I placed the black receipt holder in the middle of the table. Quick as a flash Jack pulled out his wallet and put a credit card inside the folder and caught my hand.

"I'm ready, Kim," he said with an intense look in his eyes that I'd never seen before. I gulped before picking up his wrist in two fingers and removing his hand from mine, placing his back on the table.

"Uh, okay," I said awkwardly. His sudden contact made me uncomfortable, and I could tell he liked this version of me in a… _more than friendly_ way. "I'll uh, be right back."

"Take your time," Milton said, as if he really wanted me to take my own sweet time in coming back.

"I will," I said to him, hoping he'd say something to Jack without actually _saying_ something. I made my way over to the register by the bar and started ringing them up, watching the table to see what Milton and Jerry did. Milton seemed to be trying to talk Jack out of doing something while he argued back. Jerry was lifting his hands in the air and I could only imagine that he was off in another Spanish rant, Jack had obviously said something to upset them. I could tell Jack was about to go off on them so I decided it was time to intervene.

"Woah, guys! Calm down over here, you're bothering the other customers!" I yelled, which was mostly true. Some of the other customers were giving us dirty looks, others looked thankful that I shut the guys up. "Just take the card and go," I said, tossing the credit card and receipt that Jack had to sign at him and walking away.

"Now look what you've done," Jack grumbled as he signed the papers and walked over to where I stood, leaving Jerry and Milton to watch from the table in horror at what he said next. "I'm sorry about my friends, they can be pretty aggravating sometimes."

'_Not just them,'_ I thought to myself, not expecting what was coming next.

"I want to take you out, now, to make up for this. I know you have work right now, but just ask your boss, I'm sure she'll say yes," he said, looking over to where Megan had been standing, listening to the whole conversation.

"I, uh, don't think that's a good idea. It's my first day and I don't even know you and-" I said, tripping over my words before Megan came and I felt her untying my apron.

"Of course you can take her out! Just have her back by the time we close Mr. Muscles!" she said rather cheerfully, turning me around and giving me a look before pushing me into Jack's arms. "Don't get too crazy now kids!"

"Wait, Megan!" I yelled angrily as she walked away with my apron in her hands to the back of the diner. I sighed, "You really don't have to do this, I don't even know your name."

"I _want_ to Kim, and my name is Jack," he said, taking my hand and leading me out of the restaurant. I tried to wiggle my hand out of his grip, but he held me tightly. As we passed the booth where Jerry and Milton still sat dumbfounded, I shot them a look as if pleading for help. They looked back, shrugging and shaking their heads, telling me this was out of their hands and that it was my job now to keep my identity a secret.

* * *

**A/N: So Kim has a job! And a date... Will she be able to keep her identity a secret? Ehehe sorry, I left you all on sort of a cliffhanger... You'll all just have to wait a week to find out what happens next :D I dunno, I might update during the week but highschool is tiring so I doubt it... Hope you all liked it and please don't forget to review, they make me smile! Thank you! **


	6. Chapter 6

"So Jack, where are you even taking me?" I asked, slightly annoyed at his forwardness and nervous about him finding out my secret. Now I knew he wouldn't purposely tell anybody, but if he ever found out that would make living with him so much harder, and with my guard down around Jack it would only be a matter of time before I someone saw something fishy and told somebody else. I wasn't risking it, there was just no way.

"That my friend, is a surprise," he said, dropping whatever act he had going in the diner, but certainly keeping a tight grip on my hand. "And I haven't seen you around here before, did you just move here or something?"

"Uh yeah, I used to live in Nevada before I moved here, I go to Lobelia," I lied, hoping he'd buy it. Usually I was a terrible liar, but because of my secret I'd gotten pretty good at it, or at least, I thought I had.

"Really? I have a friend who moved here from there too, that red-head Milton told me," he said, and I seethed at the fact that Milton had told him I was from Nevada. Then I remembered, _I_ told him that I was from Nevada. I really had to work on my secret keeping and lying because at this rate, the whole school would know my story.

"Oh? What's his name, maybe I know him!" I said, forcing a cheerful tone. He hadn't picked up on anything yet, so I decided I was safe enough to relax if only a little.

"His name? Oh he's Keegan Crawford, do you recognize the name?" he asked, shifting his hand a little and loosening his grip so we were comfortably holding hands. I shook my head with a small smile and he said, "You'd definitely like him, in fact, you kind of remind me of him."

"What? Impossible!" I said quickly, starting to panic a bit. Had he caught on yet? I took that opportunity to slip my hand away from his, feeling that my sudden clammy hands would give myself away.

"I dunno, you just seem to act like him. Don't take it the wrong way; he's a pretty swell guy," he added hastily, seeming to notice my tenseness. "And we have arrived!"

"What?" I asked, looking around. "How'd we get here? We were only walking for like three minutes!" I saw that we had arrived at some sort of small arcade, like the kind that all shut down thanks to handheld games and home consoles.

"Actually, we were walking for like seven minutes, but who's counting?" he said with a smile as we entered the dark arcade. I took a breath; it was amazing in there. On one wall there were all the vintage games you could think of, there was Pac Man, Final Fight, and Ace, even Galaxy Game! On the other side of the place were the newer games and all the way in the back stood my all-time favorite game from when I was younger: Dance Dance Revolution.

"I challenge you Jack, to a dance-off," I said, grabbing his wrist and dragging him to the large machine with the pink and blue tiles. I was giddy with excitement, happy that this was the first version and that I'd be able to beat Jack's ass while having fun. I had always been a terrible dancer, but when I followed the steps the game gave I was unbeatable.

"You're on Kim," he said as he fed a dollar into the machine. The game sprung to life, lighting up and asking which song we'd like to do. "We have to do Kung Fu Fighting," Jack said as I scrolled through the songs list. I picked the song and we got ready to battle, I mean dance, and the music started. This wasn't an extremely hard song but I could tell Jack hadn't done this in a while if not ever, and I was on fire. I got all the combos and every perfect move you could imagine, I was in the zone and I wasn't going to lose to that bozo.

Jack quickly got the hang of it and soon enough we were neck and neck, battling it out until the last sequence when I won by three points.

"Boom goes the dynamite! Boom! I said boom!" I yelled, throwing my arms in the air and hopping around like an idiot. I saw Jack chuckling and I dragged him to the Galaxy Game console.

"This time, I get to pick the game for a showdown blondie," he said with a sly grin. "I say we play… Karate Champ. One on one, whoever wins buys pizza."

"Deal," I said, holding out my hand. "The only thing is, even if you win you're buying. I don't have any money." Jack made a face but we made our way to the game regardless, getting ready for another intense battle. He fed another dollar into the machine and soon enough we were going all out, yelling and trying to figure out combination moves. After a few rounds, Jack won and let out a whoop.

"Boom!" he said with a grin, imitating me in my moment of weirdness. I blushed and punched him a little harder than I meant to, and he rubbed the spot with a pout. "That hurt, have you ever considered karate?"

"I'm actually a black belt," I blurted, mentally kicking myself.

"Really? You and Keegan have more in common than I thought, I think you'd like him," Jack said, surprised at my sudden revelation. "Although don't like him too much, I'll get jealous," he added with a wink, motioning for me to follow him through a bright door that I hadn't seen until then.

"And what if I do?" I asked, slightly annoyed at how possessive he was being. I mean, we had just met, at least the real me and him.

"I'll probably try to think of some way to get you to like me more," he said as he held the door open for me.

"Enough of that, instead, tell me how the heck I missed the fact that this place was right here," I asked as I suddenly found myself in a small pizza parlor that smelled great. Suddenly my stomach growled, and I noticed just how hungry I was. "How long were we in there?"

"We were actually in there for a while, believe it or not we played for nine out of fifteen with the Karate Champ game, and I won at the last moment," he said as we approached the man at the counter to order the pizza. "What toppings do you like?"

"Plain cheese for me, none of those gross toppings like pineapples or something," I said, wrinkling my nose at the thought of fruit on a pizza. I looked up at Jack and saw that his expression was one of pure horror.

"How do you not like pineapple on a pizza? It's like, the pizza topping sent from heaven, and it turns out heaven is in the tropics!" he cried, giving me a look of utter disbelief.

"Fruits? On a pizza? You're crazy Jack," I said as I crossed my arms and started to order a large plain pizza, cheese only.

"Wait! Put some pineapples on there sir!" Jack yelled as the guy was printing the receipt. The cashier sighed but tore up the receipt and punched in some numbers in the register and printed a new one, handing it to us and saying to give it to the waiter when we were done with our food so we could pay.

"Why'd you shove pineapples on there? Now even after I pick them off it's still going to taste all sweet and gross!" I said wrinkling my nose as we sat down at a table. "You could've at least gotten half the pizza plain."

"Well since I'm paying for the pizza either way, you have to eat a slice with pineapples on it as penalty for losing!" Jack said with a smile of satisfaction. I didn't even try to argue that one; I knew it would be pointless to attempt to get out of it. Instead, I awaited my doom in silence, not saying a word to Jack but trying my hardest not to laugh.

"One cheese and pineapple pizza for the two lovebirds," said the man that brought us the pizza to our table.

"Oh uh, we're not lovebirds," I said to the guy, hoping that Jack wouldn't get too carried away and confirm the waiter's incorrect suspicions.

"Whatever you say blondie," he said as he walked away, leaving the pizza and some plates at our table, along with some unwanted awkward.

"Well, go ahead _blondie_, the pineapples are waiting," Jack said with a smirk as he put the thickest, most pineapple-y slice on my plate and motioned for me to start with me punishment.

"Oh all right, but I'm not going to guarantee that I'll like it," I said with a sigh as I picked up the slice. I could smell the sickly sweet pineapple mixing with the salty smell of the cheese and sauce and I just took a large bite before I could psych myself out. It was surprisingly… good.

"You like pineapple pizza, don't you Kim?" Jack said with a smirk before taking a bit of his own.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, smirk all you want pretty boy. Maybe I do like it a little," I said coldly as I took another bite of the delicious pizza. He held up his hands before diving back down for another slice, leaving me to wonder how fast this boy could eat pizza; I was only halfway through my first slice!

The conversation was mostly small talk; I was trying hard not to give anything else away. By the time we were done we had been sitting there for longer than either of us thought and it was about time for me to go back to the diner.

"Well look at the time! It's time for me to go, thanks for everything!" I said hurriedly as I got up and tried to leave.

"Wait, let me walk you there!" Jack called, leaving some money on the table and tripping over himself to catch up to me. I sighed but waited; although it wasn't too late I didn't want to walk back by myself.

We walked in silence and once we reached the door I said goodbye as quickly as I could and tried to walk inside without too much chitchat.

"W-wait!" Jack said as he caught my hand again. He pulled me back so we were face-to-face and he whispered, "When can I see you again?" My heart started beating rapidly and I could feel a blush creeping up my face.

"I don't know," I responded, whispering too as if I didn't want to wake anyone up. He asked me when I would be working and I said I was only here for the weekends. He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it ever so lightly, a part of me wished that it had been my lips that he'd kissed instead.

"I'll see you around then blondie," he said, dropping my hand and walking off down the street to the bus stop. I knew he was going back to the school and that I should be getting back soon too or else I'd get in trouble. It wasn't dark yet, so I figured I had some time.

Suddenly the door opened and Megan pulled me inside, making me almost scream.

"Spill," she said, arms crossed. I looked past her and noticed that she'd gone through my bag and pulled out my uniform that was now hanging neatly by the back.

"You went through my stuff!" I cried, giving her a look and rushing to yank it all from the hangers and stuffing it back into my backpack.

"I only went through your things because you seemed suspicious and I wanted to trust you. Now please, sit and tell me what's going on," she said calmly, motioning to a booth. I sighed but dropped my things and went to sit down, deciding it better to tell her everything and gain her trust than to just leave without explaining.

"Well, it started with my aunt Cynthia, she wanted to ship me off to Lobelia," I started, clasping my hands in front of me on the table. "I called my brother to tell him how much I hated her and her plan, and he told me that he was enrolling me in Seaford already. We transformed me into a guy and I escaped from my aunt, and now I'm here. I tried to make sure nobody knew about me, but somehow two of my friends found out and now I'm really just trying to keep it from Jack and the rest of the school that I'm really a girl."

The whole time I talked, Megan just sat with her arms folded and a weird expression on her face, listening. "So where are your parents? Does anybody besides your brother know where you are?" she asked, interested.

I shook my head, "No, its just Charlie. My mom's gone and my dad's… he's not doing very well. There's no way I'd tell Cynthia and none of my friends back home know either."

"Where's your mom?" she asked, the one question I didn't want asked was finally out there.

"She's, she's missing," I said quietly. Megan urged me to continue, so I mustered up all the strength I could and told her what we knew. "She was, _is_ in the army. They started letting women fight on the front lines and she went out there, then she disappeared. The guy in uniform that brought us a flag and a pretty handwritten letter said she was classified as M.I.A. but they really think she's dead." I just sat there for a second before adding, "But she's not. I know she's out there. Somewhere."

"Oh honey…" Megan said, reaching out for my hands.

"I don't need your pity Megan," I said coldly, moving my hands onto my lap. "But I can't go back to Nevada, you can't make me! I'm not going back to that house."

"I'm not sending you home Kim, I think you're better off here," she said quietly. "This is a learning experience for you and you'd be here either way if you went back, so you need to make sure you don't spill your secret. Be careful."

"Thanks Megan…" I mumbled. "I expected you to ship me back home to Cynthia could make my life a living hell again. But I should get back to school," I said as I checked the wall clock. "Crap! I'm not going to make it before curfew!" Seaford Boys' curfew was eight o'clock and it was already seven forty-five, the school was a good half hour away by bus!

"Go get changed, I'll give you a ride," Megan said as she pulled out her car keys. "But hurry or you won't make it." I nodded and ran to the bathroom, putting on my uniform as quickly as I could. I washed my face in the sink and ran my wet hands through my hair, spiking it slightly then going back through with gel. I ran back out and followed Megan to her car. She drove quickly and I was almost sure that if Seaford police actually did anything that we'd be pulled over at any moment.

When we pulled up it was somehow seven fifty-five and I had enough time to run back to my dorm by the time they checked to see that everyone was in their respective building and actually in the school.

I burst through the door to find Jack in just a towel for like the fifth time that week, "For the love of God, put on some pants Jack!"

"I met the coolest girl today Keegan," Jack said dreamily as he ran his fingers through his hair. "She was gorgeous. And she works at my favorite diner, I think I'll go see her again tomorrow."

"That's great Jack, but talk to me when you get some real clothes on," I said coldly as I went to take a shower. I heard Jack sigh and flop down on the couch, completely disregarding what I'd said. I shook my head and entered the bathroom, so ready to wash away all my troubles for a while. After I was done and dressed I decided to go see if Jack was dressed and if I could convince him to not visit me tomorrow. Not to mention I hadn't asked him if he'd play the second piano of that song I had to learn.

The moment I set foot in the living room area, Jack started talking about me again.

"That girl I met, she seemed a little on edge. Why do you think that was?" he asked, sitting on the couch again but with a pair of boxers on. That was not what I had meant by 'real clothes'.

"Well, what were you doing?" I asked carefully.

"I took her out while she was supposed to be working and we went to that arcade and pizza place downtown. She seemed to be having a good time when she kicked my ass at 'Dance Dance Revolution' but when we were eating she got sort of quiet and all we were really talking about was random little things. Then when she had to leave she tried leaving without me," he said. "What'd I do wrong?"

"Well, she_ was_ supposed to be working. Maybe she was worried about her boss being mad at her," I said as I sat down in a chair opposite the couch. I was starting to feel like a psychiatrist.

"Nah, her boss said it'd be fine as long as she was back before closing time," he said absentmindedly. "I mean I tried to be charming and I kissed her hand and everything, I don't know how to get her to like me. I mean I already like her a lot and I'd like to ask her out someday, but I know she doesn't like me like that."

"Just be yourself and don't screw it up, she'll like you if you're not being weird. You also might be being too pushy, lighten up a bit and she'll feel more comfortable with you," I said before I could stop myself. I had come to talk him out of coming to see me and there I was giving him advice on how to get me to like him. Great job Kim.

"Thanks Keegan, you're the best!" Jack said, lighting up and holding his hand out for a high five. I gave him a weak one and he said, "If there's anything I can do for you man, just ask."

"Actually, there is something," I said, taking the opportunity to ask about the piano. "The song Mr. Calle gave me, it's a two piano thing, basically a duet. I wanted to know if you'd play the other piano so it would sound good." I waited expectantly, hoping for him to say yes.

"Sorry Keegan, no can do. I don't play the piano," Jack said, his face turning cold. "If it were anything else, I'd do it. Just not that." With that he got up and went to his room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

"What's his deal?" I asked myself under my breath as I headed to my room as well, wondering how I'd get him to play with me. And then it hit me; I was going to have to do it as Kim.

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**A/N: The first thing I'm going to say is SORRY. I said to a few people that it'd be up by yesterday at the latest, and look what day it is... So sorry! Well I hope you guys liked this and that it wasn't THAT bad because personally this isn't my best chapter but I wanted something out so y'all wouldn't hate me... I just didn't think this weekend would be so busy.. As always thank you so much for all the reviews (I almost have 100 on this story what what) and please don't forget to add more! **


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning I woke up a little later than the day before and scrambled to get my things and leave before Jack arrived at the diner I had started working at. Of course, since nothing seemed to go right for me when I needed it most, Jack was ready to leave as I was pulling on my shoes.

"You going out too Keegan?" he asked, running his fingers through his hair for the perfect effect to impress me/Kim. I gulped and responded carefully, hoping he wouldn't start to see any form of correlation between Keegan and Kim anytime soon.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a job in town, I'm low on money," I said as I pulled the knot on my shoes tight and stood to leave.

"If you ever need any money, just ask," Jack said absentmindedly, trying to be generous and kind. "By the way, have you heard about the Sadie Hawkins dance they're holding in August?" In fact I had not, and I was interested in the details. I beckoned for him to elaborate.

"Well, every summer they hold a dance for the kids here at Seaford and Lobelia. There's a new theme each time and I hear that it's never been repeated, so this year they decided on a Sadie Hawkins dance," he said, taking a seat on the edge of the couch. "Who do you think is going to ask you?"

"Me? Probably nobody, none of the Lobelia girls know I exist," I said quickly, hoping that nobody would ask me. If I had to say yes to someone, would that have made me a lesbian? "Who do you want to ask you?"

Jack's eyes clouded over and he got a dreamy look in his eyes, suddenly I knew who he was thinking about, "Kim," he said quietly. I chuckled, I knew he expected and hoped that I'd as him to the dance, but since it was still months away I decided to hold off on the invitation. "That's why I need to get her to like me," he added quickly, "and that's why I have to go! See you later Keeg, good luck on finding a job!" And with that, he flew out the door and I was left to watch him go.

Except, I had to go too.

Except, Jack already left. To the same place I had to go to. Meaning he'd get there before I would. Meaning I wouldn't just be able to change in the bathroom. Meaning I'd have to appear in the diner as Kim already. Oh god, this double identity thing was becoming a bit of a problem.

I dashed to the bus stop and thankfully Jack had either hitched a ride of gotten on another bus. I called Megan on the ride there, and she said I could sneak through the back and change in her office and that she'd cover for me until I got there. I thanked her so many times I'm sure she must've gotten annoyed by the way she hung up hastily.

By the time I had snuck in and gotten dressed, Megan had texted me that Jack was waiting at the booth he had sat in yesterday, tapping his fingers and "looking pretty handsome" so I knew I had to hurry it up and make my appearance.

"What'll it be?" I said as I bounced up to the table when he wasn't looking. He jumped and I could tell I had startled him by the un-manly screech he let out.

"Jesus Kim! You scared the crap out of me!" he said, clutching at his heart and giving me a look. After a few seconds of his expression I couldn't contain it and I burst out in laughter. "Ha, ha. Very funny," he deadpanned after my laughs had subsided to giggles.

"So I was thinking I'd just cut to the chase and ask you out again today. You can go and wander the town until I get out of work and we'll go out afterwards," I said, tucking a strand of my short hair behind my ear. "I have something I want to show you."

He looked surprised, "S-sure, what time do you get off work?" I glanced over at the door that held the schedule before answering.

"We close early on Sundays, so I'll be free at around four-ish. Sound good?" I said brightly. I hoped my plan to get him to play the piano would work, or if it didn't that I'd at least understand _why_ he quit playing. He nodded and left the diner with a goodbye and a beautiful smile, leaving me to get to work waiting my tables.

"You sure seem chipper this morning," Megan said as I passed by her with a breakfast sandwich on a tray while humming.

I smiled, "Oh it's nothing!" I could tell she didn't really believe me, but I continued on my merry way, working hard until it was time to go. I untied my apron and hung it in the back, promising Megan that I'd be back later to help lock up for the day and to change. "See you in a bit!" I called as I pulled a jacket over my shirt and emerged from the depths of the restaurant. I saw that Jack was already waiting for me, leaning on the wall outside in a cool manner and I went to greet him.

"Hey Jack! Ready to go?" I asked, hooking my arm around his as we started walking. He nodded and asked where we were going, and I decided to use his own words against him and said, "That my friend, is a surprise."

"Hey! That's my line!" he hollered playfully as we weaved our way through the small crowds perusing the streets of Seaford on that Sunday afternoon. I just laughed and continued to lead him to the music shop I had seen the say before on my way through the town, surprised that I remembered where it was.

"Tada!" I said when we arrived, dragging him inside the store and leading the way to the piano while talking about the beautiful instruments and asking if he could play anything. He looked uneasy as we passed through and his eyes darted from wall to wall, before looking back at me.

"Yeah I play the violin," he said slowly, eyeing me weirdly. "I used to play the piano, but I don't anymore." He looked down at his feet and I could see that something made him sad.

"Look, I don't want to make you upset or anything but I want you to listen to me play something. Then if you don't mind, could you tell me why you stopped?" I asked as I sat at a beautiful piano.

"I'll think about it," he said quietly as he sat down beside me on the bench. I closed my eyes and rummaged through my mental box of sheet music, before finding the song I wanted to play. I opened them again and placed my fingers on the keys, gliding them lightly to the tune of Zbigniew Preisner's Les Marionettes. Once I touched the last keys for the song I looked over at Jack and saw that he was staring into space, one hand covering his mouth and the other hovering above the keys. I looked in silence as he lowered his hand as if to play, then jerked his fingers back and looked over at me.

"Where'd you learn how to play like that?" he asked quietly, his voice muffled by the fact that his hand was still over his mouth.

I shrugged, "My mom taught me when I was little," I reached up gently and pulled his hands from his mouth, holding them lightly. He turned away and then looked back at me, a weird expression on his face.

"I'm going to tell you something I've never told anybody else before, and you have to promise to not think about me differently or feel sorry for me," he said, swinging his other leg around the opposite side of the bench so he could turn and see me clearly. I nodded and waited, curious about his story.

"It starts with my grandfather," he said, his eyes clouding over and his voice changing tone. "He was the one that taught me karate and also the one that trained Bobby Wasabi for his movies." I gasped but motioned for him to continue, trying to ignore the fact that he was related to someone so close to one of my all-time favorite movie stars.

"He taught me how to play some songs, just simple ones since he never had time to teach himself to play more complex ones. He ended up paying for my lessons and he was the only one out of my whole family to support and enjoy my music." I thought about my aunt then, and how she hated when I played. I wondered if she had a story behind her hatred as well. "He was the only one to ever come to my recitals, and he never missed a single one. He came with me to my audition for the Seaford Boys' and watched me the whole time to make sure I did my best." Then he stopped, as if deep in thought.

"Once I got accepted and moved here, I stopped seeing him and he wasn't able to come to the big recital we had at the end of the year. Then, last year he promised he'd come to hear me play at the mid-year recital and see how much I'd improved. I practiced for hours and hours, wanting to make my grandfather proud," he said, gazing off into the distance again. "Then, on the day before the show my grandfather was in a big car accident. They took him to the hospital and I didn't find out he had died until minutes before it was time for me to go onstage.

"I broke down and cried, until someone shoved me onto the stage, tears and all. I got up there and sat at that piano, sniffling and looking like an idiot, unable to so much as touch the keys. I forced myself to play, convincing myself I'd play for him one last time. So I did," and then he got quiet.

"So after then, after you played one more time for your grandfather, you stopped?" I asked, wanting a confirmation. He nodded, clasping his hands on his lap. "Why haven't you played since?" I asked, moving my head so I could see his face clearly.

"It hurts. I've tried, but I can't," he whispered before standing up. "Can we go please?" He gave me a pleading look and my heart ached for him.

"Sure," I said, reaching out for his hand and leading him out of the place. "Where to next?" He shrugged, and we kept walking until we reached the diner again.

"Actually, do you mind if I go?" Jack asked, stopping and grabbing both my hands. "There's something I need to tell me friend, and I want to do it now before I convince myself I'm wrong." I nodded and he planted a quick kiss on my cheek, blushing when he noticed what he had done. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me," he said quickly, dropping my hands and looking at his shoes again.

"It- it's okay," I said quietly, blushing madly and grabbing my arm behind my back. "But go, tell Keegan I say hi." He gave me a weird look and left, flashing a tiny smile over his shoulder and waving awkwardly.

I turned back into the diner and saw Megan giving me a look, "So what happened blondie, you were only gone for fifteen minutes and when you come back he kisses you. Tell me." She smiled and tossed me a rag, motioning for me to clean tables while I talked.

"Well, yesterday he took me to the arcade and a pizza parlor. I had a lot of fun regardless of how he was acting here; he actually was a pretty nice guy once we left. Then after the date when I went back to school he started gushing about me to me and then when I asked him to play the piano with me he got all cold and distant and he said he wouldn't," I said, wiping down table four as I talked. "So then today I decided to find out why he wouldn't play and he told me why at the music shop down the street. He asked to leave, kissed me on the cheek, then left."

Megan just stood there for a second before saying, "Well, I think it's safe to say that he likes you Kim." I smiled a little, surprised at how nice it felt to hear that.

"You think so?" I asked, suddenly feeling all giddy and girly. She nodded and I blushed, so she started teasing me.

"You like him too don't you? Since you live with him, have you seen him naked? Have you caught him doing anything weird?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're such a creep!" I yelled playfully as I chucked my rag at her face. "And in any case I might like him, I've seen him almost naked, and I don't know what you mean by 'weird' and I don't intend to find out!" Megan just laughed and I slumped down in a booth. "What should I do? I want to keep my secret, well, a _secret_, but I keep finding it harder and harder to hide it. It's almost like I want to tell Jack, and I don't know why."

"You trust him, and in any case if you want to tell him why don't you?" she asked, sliding in across from me.

I sighed, "It's not as simple as me just trusting him with a tiny secret Megan, this is my whole life on the line right here. Well not maybe my _whole_ life, but a pretty big chunk of it and I don't want to have to go home. You said it yourself, it's better for me to stay here."

"Then don't tell him, I don't know why you're so conflicted about this is you already know what you want to do," she said as she folded up the towel she had been using.

"Enough about my secret though, how do I get him to play the piano with me?" I asked quickly, suddenly remembering my task for school.

"What do you mean?" she asked, clearly confused.

"I didn't tell you about that?" I asked. Megan shook her head and asked me to explain. "So my music teacher yelled at me on the first day and told me to play so I did and apparently I was really good so he decided to challenge me. He gave me a hard song to learn and it was composed for two pianos, meaning that it won't sound as good with only one pianist. He told me that if I could get Jack to play that it'd be great but for some reason he doesn't want to play. That's what I did today, I asked about his story, and he told me why."

"Wait, but if you asked Jack about the piano as Kim, didn't you just give him the clue of the century as to your real identity?" Megan asked, a sharp tone in her voice.

"Oh my god, I did! Crap, what am I supposed to say to him when I get back to school?" I asked quickly, suddenly really worried that I'd revealed too much. "What if he already figured it out? Jerry and Milton are probably going to tell him everything if he asks!"

"Woah, calm down now honey, we don't know that he's already added it all up," Megan said calmly.

"Right, we don't know that yet!" I repeated, trying to calm myself down.

"Right now all I suggest for you to do is go back to school and try to talk to him, ask about what happened and tell him you found a job somewhere obscure so he doesn't get suspicious," she said, untying her apron and reaching in her pocket for her car keys. "Go get dressed and I'll give you a ride."

"O-okay, thanks Megan," I said slowly as I walked to the back to get my clothes. As soon as I was finished changing Megan ushered me to the car and drove me back to the campus, more calmly than the day before since I didn't have to get in the school within three seconds of leaving the diner. As she dropped me off she wished me luck and told me to calm down and take it slowly, I didn't want to come off as suspicious or nervy did I?

I walked briskly to our dorm and opened the door to find a slightly flustered Jack pacing the area in front of the door. As soon as he saw me, his expression changed and he stopped walking around.

"So how long were you going to keep this from me?" he asked, hands on his hips like an overprotective mother after her daughter walked in after curfew.

Uh oh.

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**A/N: wowowowowowow SO SORRY about not updating in like two weeks! School has me dying, I hate waking up so early and pracitce right after school just drains me... So again, I apologize for kind of abandoning this for a bit, but I promise I'll try to make sure I update regularly! (I've already started the next chapter so I have more motivation to update next week) **

**SO. What'd you all think of Mr. Cliffy over here? Ahaha you won't find out what happens until next weekend! Anyway thanks for all the fabulous reviews and for (hopefully) staying with me until now! See y'all next week! **


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